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'Means so much': 'Ted Lasso' pays a heartfelt tribute to the late sports journalist Grant Wahl

The latest episode of 'Ted Lasso' Season 3 featured two really emotional moments that paid tribute to the late soccer journalist Grant Wahl

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 3 has been touching all the right notes since the very first episode and continues to be a force to be reckoned with. But this week’s episode was a little special and emotional as well as it gave touching tribute to the renowned soccer journalist Grant Wahl, who died in December while covering 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

There were two pivotal moments in the latest episode of the Apple TV+ series which made viewers really emotional. The first takes place when Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) is seen holding a copy of Wahl’s book ‘The Beckham Experiment’, which tells the story about soccer super David Beckham and his decision to move away from the top European Leagues. At the time, he decided to unleash his extraordinary soccer skills in the US. When the scene was shot, it was one of those sequences where viewers would get to know Beard’s reading choices.

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However, no one expected that the little nod given to Wahl and his book would turn into a tribute.

Meanwhile, the episode ended with another dedication to the sportswriter as the screen read “In Memory of Grant Wahl,” nearly four months after his death on December 10, 2022.

'Means so much' said Wahl's widow Celine Gounder

As soon as the episode concluded, Wahl’s widow, Celine Gounder, thanked the cast and crew of ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 3 for a moving tribute. She wrote, “It ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe… Thank you, @jasonsudeikis, @brendanhunting, @brettgoldstein. This episode means so much to me and my family.”

How did Grant Wahl die?

For the uninitiated, Wahl was covering the quarter-final clash between Argentina and Netherlands at the World Cup in Doha, Qatar. The 48-year-old journalist collapsed during the game and was taken to the hospital thirty minutes after Paramedics rushed to perform emergency care. The autopsy found out that Wahl died of an ascending aortic aneurysm.

Wahl helped 'Ted Lasso' writers in creating multiple characters

Wahl played a pivotal role in making some of the characters that viewers see on the Apple TV+ series. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hunt noted that Wahl helped the writers on the show in crafting storylines around journalist Trent Crimm (James Lance) trying to write a book about AFC Richmond and how a superstar footballer like Zava joins a team like AFC Richmond. Hunt also noted that Wahl always replied to them whenever they sent him any queries regarding the aforementioned characters and was “hugely helpful”.

That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between the two and even met each other at Richmond. Hunt said, “On his way to the airport, he came to Richmond. He came to my house, he met my family, I showed him around Richmond, and we had a f***ing great day talking about [soccer].”